KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) cautioned on Wednesday (Dec. 11) that while southern Taiwan has a large baseball-loving population, building a new stadium requires careful consideration. He warned that it's easy to build a stadium but hard to maintain it, adding that they wouldn't want it to become a white elephant.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) revealed that the city is vying for the dome arena, with site selection in the final evaluation stage. Also, Changhua County Magistrate Wang Huei-mei (王惠美) expressed hope for local business support in this endeavor.
Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL, 中華職棒) Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) recently stated that Taiwan deserves another major stadium, but it needs strong backing from local governments. He believes the next stadium should be built in central or southern Taiwan to avoid competition.
Chen highlighted Kaohsiung's advantages in location, population, and transportation, and revealed plans to conduct feasibility studies with existing outdoor baseball fields in several counties and cities. This year's World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 games reignited Taiwan's baseball fever, boosted by Jay Chou's concert, highlighting the economic benefits of the Taipei Dome.